Not Fast Enough
by Ashtree101
Summary: Sometimes the hardest thing is accepting that you couldn't have saved someone. Response to Collateral Damage challenge over on the YJ challenge forum.


**A/N:** Okay, so this was written as a response to the Collateral Damage challenge in the YJ challenge forum. I apologize if anything seems choppy, but I'm still recovering from my return to school following spring break. I hope you all enjoy this little one-shot and I'm sorry it's so short.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Young Justice and only wish that I could make money by writing stories about these lovely characters.

He couldn't look away as her body fell through the air, tumbling downward as if she were a mere child's toy falling from someone's clutch. Her screams echoed through his head, crying for her mother and him. She was begging for Kid Flash…for the first time he actually wished that someone couldn't remember his name.

He was frozen and even with his rapid vibrating he was still waist deep in ice. He could feel icy water droplets soaking into the skin tight fabric, but the frozen liquid simply wasn't melting fast enough. The fact was he wasn't going to be fast enough to save her and he knew it.

He stopped vibrating when she hit the ground. He was still half frozen, but he couldn't make himself move. He could only cry for the little girl lost. His uncle didn't show up for another hour and by then he had thawed down to his knees, but he still hadn't budged. It took another hour before the Flash would even get a response out of the young speedster and two more before the tears stopped.

He wore black, covered himself in the stiff suit without even a single complaint or the slightest fidget. Today, she would be buried. She wasn't even fiver years old and yet she was about to be put six feet under. She was completely innocent, but because he wasn't fast enough - the fastest boy alive wasn't fast enough - she had to die.

"Stop beating yourself up, Kiddo," Barry was kneeling before him looping a tie around his neck when he spoke.

"I should have been able to save her," Wally responded, sourly.

"Kid, you can't save everyone," Barry said, simply, tightening the tie around the boy's neck.

"I've got powers that make Olympic runners look like sluigs, but if I can't even save a little girl with them, then what good are they?" Wally murmured, suddenly fascinated by the pattern of the tile floor beneath his feet.

"Wally, you have saved people with your powers and you will save people with them again," Barry assured, his now free hands coming up to rest lightly on the boy's shoulders as he waited patiently for emerald eyes to meet his steady gaze, "but you will also fail again."

"And the times I do fail?" Wally questioned, his voice barely more than a thin whisper.

"You'll know that you did your best and that's all that anyone can ask for," His uncle drew himself slowly up to his feet belying his Flash counterpart.

"Thanks."

He kneeled down in front of the cold stone his whole body aching in the chilly morning air. He was overwhelmed with sadness at the sight of the engraved granite stone that had become such a familiar object to the young speedster.

"I'm sorry," Wally spoke, his voice coming out soft and shaky, "and I don't mean that in the way I do after I've eaten all Aunt Iris's fresh baked cookies."

"I wish I could offer more than that, but I can't." Wally said, a frown settling across his freckled face.

"Still," the young speedster continued, "I'd like to think that maybe you'd think that was enough."

He settled his hand gently on the top of the stone before gazing up towards the cloudless sky. He sighed, softly, hoping that next time he would be fast enough. It hurt too much to be slow.

**End A/N: **Thanks for reading and it would be much appreciated if you told me what you thought by hitting the little button over there. (Which I'm very sad to say isn't red.) Also as per request from a friend of mine I've brought you a little end bit. (Please hold all rotten tomatoes until I can rebuild my wall of Mountain Dew cans with well...um something.)

Ash peering around the corner at Mount Justice: Tony, see if you can find Robin, I'll go fetch KF.

Tony: Why am I helping you catch birds?

*smack*

Tony rubbing the back of his head: Ow! what was that for.

Ash *bat glares*

KF voice muffled by a banana: Hey, 'ou amost 'ot Bats 'own.

Tony: Wait, I thought we were looking for birds?

*smack*

Tony and KF: Ow! Sorry, Ash.

Ash: Good boys, now get back to the Ashcave and get back to work!

(Sorry couldn't help myself with the NCIS reference there.)


End file.
